UP court grants bail to Kejriwal in cases of electoral offences

Booked in two cases for allegedly disturbing communal harmony and committing other electoral offences during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Monday granted bail by a special court for lawmakers in Sultanpur.

Special Judge P K Jayant granted bail to Kejriwal after he appeared before the court and sought relief in both the cases involving the violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

After granting bail, the court fixed November 3 as the next date of hearing in the two cases.

Kejriwal, who had been given exemption from the appearance before the court after moving the Supreme Court earlier against the first information reports (FIRs) lodged against him, appeared before the court on his own, the Delhi chief minister's counsel Madan Singh said.

"As a responsible citizen to get the matter proceeded at the earliest, he appeared before the court willingly. He applied for bail, which was granted to him. The court fixed November 3 as the next date of hearing," he said.

According to Singh, Kejriwal had been booked in two cases lodged against him and other Aam Aadmi Party leaders at Gauriganj and Musafir Khana police stations of Amethi during the 2014 general elections.

Various sections under which the FIRs had been lodged included Section 125 of the Representation of People's Act for promoting communal harmony, assembling unlawfully (Section 143 of Indian Penal Code), obstructing public servants from discharging their duty (Section 186 IPC), wrongfully restraining them (Section 341), and assaulting them to deter them from doing their duty (Section 353) besides others.

The FIRs had been lodged against him after he had allegedly given provocative speech and violated the model code of conduct while campaigning for party candidate Kumar Vishwas.

Besides Kejriwal, Kumar Vishwas, Harikrishna, Rakesh Tiwari, Ajay Singh and Bablu Tiwari too were booked in those cases

In the Gauriganj case, police filed the charge sheet recently.

Kejriwal reached Lucknow earlier and travelled to Sultanpur from there by road.

He will also be visiting Ayodhya later and is expected to attend Saryu Arti in the evening.

The Delhi CM will also visit Hanumangarhi and Ram Lala temples there on Tuesday.